UC-NRLF 


SB    E77    511 


AND  8 


TDS 


Value  of  Swamp  Lands, 


or 


How   to  Make 
Unproductive  Black  Soils  More  Valuable. 


Published  by 
GERMAN  KALI  WORKS 

1907. 


Some  important  books  on  agricultural  subjects  : 

Principles  of  Profitable  Farming, 
Potash  in  Agriculture, 
Farmers'  Guide, 

Farmers'  Note  Book, 
Cotton  Culture, 

Tobacco  Culture, 
Orange  Culture, 

Strawberry  Culture, 
Tropical  Planting, 
Stassfurt  Industry, 
Fertilizing  Tobacco, 
Sugar  Cane  Culture^ 
The  Co-w  Pea, 
Plant  Food, 

Truck  Farming, 

Why  the  Fish  Failed. 

•  *  ,*"•  •  •  • 

If  you  wish  anjf  o£»these  1Wbks*c.yau  can  obtain  the  same  free 

of  charge  by  writing  t^o  yie,  ^GERMAN  &ALI  "WORKS,  93  Nassau  Street, 
New  York  or  At^nta'tej^;  J^^anttief-  6u>lding  or  Chicago  111., 
662  Monadnock  Block.  •  •  •  •  t  /• .  -.  .ta 


VALUE    OF    SWAMP    LANDS. 


Most  farmers  in  hilly  or  rolling  sections  are  familiar 
with  swamp,  or  black,  soils.  In  some  sections  nearly  every 
farm  has  a  low,  wet  place  where  the  soil  is  black  and  sticky. 
In  the  middle  West,  notably  in  Indiana  and  Illinois  and 
adjoining  states,  there  are  large  areas  of  these  swamps  or 
black  lands  which  are  called  "unproductive"  and  frequently 
are  not  cultivated  In  fact,  so  much  of  this  land  is  found 
in  the  two  states  just  mentioned  that  the  experiment  stations 
have  made  a  special  study  of  this  class  of  soils.  Farmers 
have  generally  been  taught  to  believe  that  the  black  soils 
are  naturally  very  rich  in  plant  food. 

"The  swamps  ought  to  be  rich  since  they  have  received 
for  centuries  the  drainage  from  the  hills". 

We  often  hear  farmers  make  that  statement  and  there  is 
much  truth  in  it.  Many  of  these  places  represent  the 
bottoms  of  old  ponds,  the  water  having  dried  out  or  escaped 
in  some  way  so  as  to  leave  the  bottom  bare.  Here  Nature 
has  locked  up  great  treasures  of  plant  food,  and  in  doing 
so,  as  we  shall  see,  carried  the  key  away  with  her. 

la  a  general  way  two  methods  of  handling  such  soils 
have  been  tried,  both  based  on  the  theory  that  swamp  soil 
or  muck  contains  a  well  baiariced  ration  of  all  needed 

2743d4 


4  VALUE    OF    SWAMP    LANDS. 

plant  food.  The  mistake  in  the  theory  has  made  both 
methods  disappointing.  One  plan  is  to  dig  out  the  muck, 
leave  it  for  a  time  to  "sweeten",  and  then  spread  it  on  the 
upper  fields  of  the  farm  like  manure.  But  in  all  cases 
where  muck  is  used  alone  for  fertilizing  other  fields,  the 
final  result  is  disappointing.  Somehow  the  muck  does  not 
"hold  out"  or  continue  to  give  good  crops. 

Another  well  known  method  is  to  drain  the  swamp 
either  with  open  ditches  or  tile,  and  thus  reduce  the  level 
at  which  water  stands.  When  this  is  done  the  soil  can  be 
worked  with  horse  tools  and  planted  with  ordinary  crops. 
Thus  in  one  case  the  swamp  is  carried  to  crops  in  higher 
fields,  while  in  the  other  the  swamp  is  dried  and  the  crops 
are  brought  to  it.  It  is  noticed  that  when  grass  is  seeded 
in  these  drained  swamps  it  usually  makes  a  good  growth 
for  a  few  vears.  Small  grain  also  does  fairly  well,  though 
inclined  to  lodge  or  fall  down.  In  many  swamps,  corn, 
while  making  a  fair  stalk,  refuses  to  ear  well;  and  potatoes 
make  heavy  vines  but  produce  poor  tubers.  Farmers 
have  often  observed  these  facts  about  black  soil  or  muck 
and  have  wondered  why  this  apparently  rich  soil  fails.  In 
theory  it  ought  to  be  nearly  as  rich  as  manure,  yet  it  is  true 
that  swamp  lands  seldom  give  permanent  satisfaction  with- 
out the  addition  of  some  form  of  fertilizer. 

What  is  the  matter  with  the  soils  ? 

The  answer,  by  chemical  analysis  and  practical  ex- 
perience alike,  is  that  they  lack  available  potash.  In 
Indiana  analyses  were  made  of  many  such  soils  and  in 


VALUE    OF    SWAMP    LANDS.  5 

every  case  a  deficiency  of  potash  was  shown.  In  most 
cases  there  was  less  than  one-tenth  of  the  potash  found  in 
average  soils  throughout  the  state.  The  following  analysis, 
taken  from  Bulletin  Number  95  of  the  Indiana  Station, 
shows,  in  part,  the  composition  of  such  a  soil: 

TOP    SOIL.  SUB-SOIL. 

Nitrogen 3  22  per  cent.    2. 84  per  cent. 

Phosphoric  Acid     0.46       "  0.27       " 

Potash 0.105     "  0.108     " 

In  some  cases  a  chemical  analysis  of  a  soil  is  of  little 
value  to  the  farmer,  but  this  one  gives  a  clue  to  the  solution 
of  a  puzzling  farm  problem.  Here  we  have  a  soil  containing 
as  much  nitrogen  as  a  large  proportion  of  the  chemical 
fertilizers  offered  for  sale,  three  or  four  times  as  much 
phosphoric  acid  as  a  good  average  soil,  but  only  about  one- 
tenth  as  much  potash  as  will  be  found  in  average  clay  loam. 
It  is  easily  seen  from  this  why  such  soil  fails  to  produce 
good  crops  year  after  year.  There  is  nitrogen  and  phos- 
phoric acid  enough  to  last  500  years,  but  the  lack  of  potash 
renders  these  elements  useless  for  the  production  of  crops 
like  potatoes  or  grain.  Even  the  potash  found  naturally  in 
such  soil  is,  for  the  most  part,  unavailable,  being  in  such 
forms  that  the  plants  cannot  use  it. 

It  will,  of  course,  be  asked  how  such  soil  can  be  rich  in 
nitrogen  and  phosphoric  acid  and  yet  low  in  potash.  In 
Bulletin  No.  93  of  the  Illinois  Station  the  following  ex- 
planation is  made  for  the  lack  of  potash  in  peaty  soils: 

"Peat  itself  consists  largely  of  partially  decayed  sphag 


0  VALUE    OF    SWAMP    LANDS. 

num  moss,  which  grew  in  the  water  once  covering 
these  areas.  In  growing,  the  moss  obtains  carbon  from 
the  carbon  dioxide  in  the  air,  and  hydrogen  and  oxygen 
from  water,  being  similar  to  other  plants  in  this  respect. 
The  water  in  which  the  sphagnum  moss  grows  is  more  or 
less  stagnant.  It  is  usually  surface  drainage  or  seepage 
water,  and  contains  sufficient  nitrogen,  phosphorus,  potas- 
sium, and  other  essential  elements  of  plant  food  to  meet 
the  needs  of  the  growing  moss.  Both  nitrogen  and  phos- 
phorus enter  into  fairly  stable  organic  combinations  with 
the  carbon,  hydrogen,  and  oxygen,  and  when  the  moss 
changes  to  peat,  and  even  when  the  peat  partially  decays, 
these  two  elements,  nitrogen  and  phosphorus  (especially 
the  nitrogen),  are  largely  retained  in  the  organic  matter. 
The  potassium,  however,  reverts  more  largely  to  the  soluble 
form  and  it  is  finally  lost  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  in  the 
drainage  waters  flowing  from  the  peat  bogs. 

"A  considerable  number  of  peaty  swamp  soils  from  differ- 
ent places  in  the  State  have  been  analyzed  by  the  Experiment 
Station,  and  they  are  found  to  be  very  rich  in  nitrogen,  well 
supplied  with  phosphorus,  but  very  deficient  in  potassium, 
as  compared  with  the  ordinary  fertile  soils  of  the  state." 

Farmers  are  not  always  ready  to  accept  such  scientific 
theories  without  proof  which  they  can  understand, — that  is 
the  actual  results  with  crops.  Ample  proof  of  this  kind 
has  been  given  by  both  the  Illinois  and  Indiana  Experiment 
Stations.  In  Indiana  it  was  found  that  many  of  these  tracts 
of  swamp  land  were  very  hard  to  drain.  Of  course  they 


VALUE    OF    SWAMP    LANDS.  7 

could  not  be  permanently  improved  until  the  surface  water 
was  removed  Where  water  stands  thirty  inches  below  the 
surface  such  a  crop  as  corn  cannot  be  successfully  grown. 
Since  it  was  impossible  for  the  owners  of  such  lands  to 
drain  them  thoroughly  by  ordinary  means,  experiments  were 
made  to  see  what  temporary  improvement  could  be  made 


AVERAGE  SAMPLES  OF  CORN  GROWN  ON  SWAMP  LAND,   WITH  AND 

WITHOUT  KAINIT. 
Experiment  made  by  Experiment  Station  of  Indiana. 

in  the  crops.  Part  of  the  land  selected  for  the  experiments 
was  plowed  in  the  ordinary  way.  Another  part  was  sub- 
soiled  in  addition, — that  is,  after  plowing,  a  sub-soil  plow 
was  run  deeper  in  each  furrow, — not  turning  the  lower  soil 


8 


VALUE    OF    SWAMP    LANDS. 


over  but  simply  breaking  it  up.  Plots  of  equal  size  in  each 
portion  were  laid  out,  one  being  planted  as  it  stood  to  test 
the  natural  capacity  of  the  soil.  On  another  plot  kainit  at 
the  rate  of  one  ton  per  acre  was  used,  on  another  the  same 
amount  of  kainit  and  lime  at  the  rate  of  five  tons  per  acre, 
and  another  an  equal  amount  of  lime  alone.  The  kainit 
contained  no  plant  food  but  potash.  The  object  in  using 
the  lime  both  alone  and  with  the  kainit  was  to  test  the  oft- 
repeated  claim  that  lime  will  set  such  soils  right. 

The  following  table  shows  the  results: 


PLOWING 

ADDITION 

YIELDS    PER    ACRE 

SOUND 
CORN 
BUSHELS 

POOR 
CORN 
BUSHELS 

FODDER 
TONS 

Ordinary 

None 

28.6 

I  1.0 

1-39 

« 

Kainit 

55-8 

4.4 

2-43 

« 

Kainit  &  Lime 

52.4 

6.8 

2.48 

« 

Lime 

25  i 

ii.  6 

1.48 

Sub-soil 

None 

16.1 

12.0 

I.O4 

it 

Kainit 

60.4 

2-3 

2-43 

u 

Kainit  &  Lime 

52.0 

2.  2 

2   21 

tt 

Lime 

i5-04 

i°5 

I   04 

li 

None 

4.0 

12   6 

0.96 

No  one  could  ask  for  stronger  evidence  than  this.     It  is 
exactly  what  we  had  a  right  to  expect  from  the  analysis  of 


VALUE    OF    SWAMP    LANDS.  9 

the  soil.  Not  only  was  the  potash  in  the  soil  deficient  as 
compared  with  other  soils  but  what  there  was  present  was 
unavailable  to  plants.  When  the  kainit  was  used  as  a 
fertilizer  the  corn  received  what  it  needed,  and  gave  a  fair 
crop  even  on  this  poorly  drained  soil.  Take  the  average  of 
the  two  plots  and  the  natural  soil  gave  only  17.35  bushels 
of  sound  corn  and  11.50  bushels  of  poor  corn.  The  average 


CORN    GROWN   ON    SWAMP   SOIL. 

NO    POTASH    ON    LEFT.  WITH    POTASH   ON    RIGHT. 

Experiment  Conducted  by  the  Illinois  Experiment  Station. 

of  the  plots  where  kainit  was  used  shows  58.1  bushels  of 
sound  and  3.35  of  poor  corn.  There  can  be  no  question 
that  this  increase  was  due  to  the  potash  in  the  kainit.  The 
use  of  lime  alone  was  not  satisfactory.  We  see  from  the 
table  that  what  the  soil  needed  was  potash.  The  lime 
could  not  furnish  potash  or  set  it  free  in  the  soil  and  thus  it 
failed  to  produce  the  crop.  Not  only  is  this  so  but  you 


10  VALUE    OF    SWAMP    LANDS. 

will  notice  that  where  the  kainit  was  used  the  proportion 
of  poor  corn  is  lowest.  It  is  always  the  rule  that  an 
abundant  supply  of  potash  ensures  a  plump  ear,  well  filled 
to  the  tip.  The  benefit  was  not  confined  to  the  first  year. 
For  ten  years  after  the  kainit  was  used  there  was  an  in- 
crease in  yield.  In  n  years  this  gain  over  the  natural  soil 
amounted  to  594  bushels  per  acre,  which  represents  the 
gain  from  using  one  ton  of  kainit.  At  the  average  selling 
price  of  35  cents  per  bushel  this  means  $207.90.  In  every 
case  where  potash  has  been  used  on  these  black,  unproduc- 
tive soils  the  gain  in  the  crop  yields  has  been  remarkable. 

The  results  on  similar  soils  in  Illinois,  as  recorded  in 
Bulletin  No.  93  were  just  as  marked.  In  every  case  where 
potash  was  used  the  yield  of  the  corn  was  increased. 
Analysis  of  this  Illinois  soil  showed  much  the  same  con- 
dition as  was  found  in  Indiana, — the  black  or  swamp  soil 
contained  several  times  as  much  nitrogen  as  the  best  soils 
in  the  corn  belt  and  also  an  abundance  of  phosphoric  acid. 
It  was,  however,  almost  entirely  deficient  in  available  potash. 
It  was  this  lack  of  potash,  combined  with  poor  drainage, 
that  made  these  soils  unproductive.  The  use  of  lime  alone 
did  not  increase  the  yield  greatly  because  it  did  not  add 
potash.  These  Illinois  experiments  were  even  more  elabo- 
rate than  those  in  Indiana.  One  soil  thus  tested  consisted 
of  about  16  inches  of  black  peat,  then  14  inches  of  lighter 
soil,  with  a  sub-soil  of  coarse  sand.  This  soil  was  a  failure 
at  producing  ordinary  crops, — particularly  corn  While 
analysis  showed  a  lack  of  potash  it  was  determined  to  try 


VALUE    OF    SWAMP    LANDS. 


II 


the  other  fertilizing  elements  also.  Nitrogen  was  furnished 
in  the  form  of  dried  blood,  phosphoric  acid  in  steamed 
bone  meal,  while  muriate  of  potash  at  the  rate  of  200 
pounds  per  acre  was  used  for  the  potash.  Lime  was  also 
used  on  all  the  experiment  plots.  The  result  is  shown  in 
the  following  table: 


YIELDS    ] 

PER    ACRE 

CORN 
BUSHELS 

STOVER 
POUNDS 

None  

0 

I,OOO 

Lime  

o 

800 

Lime,  nitrogen  

O 

I,2OO 

Lime,  phosphorus  

O 

2,OOO 

Lime,  potassium  

36.3 

3,6oO 

Lime,  nitrogen,  phosphorus  

O 

I,4OO 

Lime,  nitrogen,  potassium  

40.  o 

3,^OO 

Lime,  phosphorus,  potassium  

77.  C 

3,  100 

Lime,  nitrogen,  phosphorus,  potassium 
Nitrogen,  phosphorus,  potassium.  .  .  . 

6O.O 

52-5 

4,400 
4,75° 

The  results  are  even  more  striking  than  on  the  Indiana 
soil.  It  was  evident  that  lime  was  not  the  needed  addition, 
for  even  where  nitrogen  and  phosphoric  acid  were  used 


Without  Potash. 


With  Potash. 


AVERAGE   CORN   STALKS,  WITH    AND    WITHOUT    POTASH,  GROWN    ON   THE    FARM   OF  MR.  J.  H. 
MILLIGAN   AT   TAMPICO,    ILLINOIS. 


WITHOUT   POTASH,    NO   YIELD. 

Experiment  made  under  the  direction  of  the  Illinois  Experiment  Station. 


WITH    POTASH,    YIELD    FROM   36  TO   60  BUSHELS 
OF   SHELLED    CORN    PER   ACRE. 


VALUE    OF    SWAMP    LANDS.  I£ 

alone  or  together,  with  lime,  no  ear  corn  was  made.  Just  as 
we  should  expect,  these  elements  of  plant  food  increased 
the  growth  of  stalk,  but  could  not  complete  the  ear.  It 
was  only  when  potash  was  added  that  the  ear  was  formed. 

The  potash  need  of  corn  is  made  very  clear  in  this 
bulletin.  The  stalks  required  to  grow  a  crop  of  100  bushels 
of  corn  contain  52  pounds  of  potash  while  the  grain  contains 
19  pounds,  or  71  in  all.  As  the  stalks  grow  before  the  ears 
are  formed,  they  will  exhaust  the  potash  in  the  soil,  if  it  is 
deficient,  so  that  when  the  ears  are  made  there  is  little 
potash  left  for  them.  The  result  v:  111  be  small  and  imperfect 
ears  and  poor  grain.  One  Illinois  farmer  gave  a  good  illus- 
tration of  this.  His  soil  was  a  black  peat  16  inches  deep. 
The  experiment  station  used  it  for  growing  corn,  and  among 
other  chemicals  used  potash  at  the  rate  of  200  pounds 
muriate  per  acre.  The  result  was  that  no  ear  corn  was 
produced  where  no  potash  was  used,  while  in  every  case 
where  potash  was  added,-alone  or  with  other  chemicals, 
from  36  to  60  bushels  of  corn  per  acre  were  grown.  The 
owner  of  this  farm  saw  how  potash  produced  corn  and  he 
was  so  impressed  with  the  results  that  he  decided  to  use 
potash  again.  The  following  year  he  used  fifty  pounds  of 
muriate  of  potash  per  acre.  The  result  was  a  good  crop  of 
stalks  but  no  ear  corn.  We  can  easily  see  the  reason  for 
this.  There  was  little  or  no  available  potash  in  the  soil. 
The  corn  crop  was  obliged  to  depend  upon  what  was  added 
in  the  muriate  of  potash.  The  stalks  alone  required  52 
pounds  of  potash  to  make  a  full  growth.  The  fifty  pounds. 


14  VALUE    OF    SWAMP    LANDS. 

of  muriate  containing  25  pounds  of  pure  potash  added  less 
than  enoujh  to  grow  the  stalks  and  there  was  absolutely 
none  left  to  provide  for  the  ears.  This  shows  the  necessity 
of  using  at  least  200  pounds  of  muriate  per  acre  on  such 
soils. 


BUCKWHEAT  GROWN  ON  SWAMP  SOIL,    ON  THE   FARM  OF    MR.  C.   C.   PORTER, 

AT  MOMENCE,   ILLINOIS. 
ON  THE  LEFT — NO  POTASH.  ON  THE  RIGHT — WITH  POTASH. 

Another  example  of  the  necessity  of  potash  is  shown 
in  the  photograph  illustrating  the  results  obtained  on  corn 
by  Mr,  George  Wakeman,  near  Momence,  111.  He  made  a 
heavy  application  of  stable  manure  to  the  field  shown  at 
the  left  side  of  the  picture,  and  applied  muriate  of  potash 
to  another  portion  of  the  field,  shown  on  the  right  side. 
The  results  are  very  striking.  The  stable  manure  produced 


VALUE    OF 


FARM  OF  GEO.  WAKEMAN,   NEAR  MOMENCE,   ILL. 

CORN  ON  SWAMP  LAND. 
ON  LEFT  STABLE  MANURE  ONLY.  ON  RIGHT  MURIATE  OF  POTASH  ONLY. 


little  effect,  because  it  contained  only  a  very  small  amount 
of  potash,  while  the  large  quantity  of  nitrogen  and  in 
addition  thereto,  the  phosphoric  acid,  were  not  needed  on 
this  particular  soil.  Muriate  of  potash  used  alone  made 
a  heavy  crop  of  corn. 

An  abundance  of  evidence  has  been  obtained  to  prove 
that  potash  is  the  needed  element  in  these  black  or  peaty 
soils.  We  know  of  a  low  valley  which  has  been  drained  and 
planted  in  celery.  It  has  been  found  that  kainit  alone  year 
after  year  will  produce  good  crops  of  celery  while  any  mix- 
tures of  chemicals  containing  no  potash  will  fail.  From 
what  has  already  been  said  we  can  easily  see  why  this  is  so, 
for  while  the  soil  of  the  valley  provides  ample  nitrogen  and 


16  VALU.K  J:JF  SV/AMP  LANDS. 

phosphoric  acid,  it  has  little  if  any  available  potash.  In  this 
same  valley  potatoes  planted  in  the  natural  soil  grow  a  large 
vine  and  a  coarse,  watery  tuber,  unfit  to  eat.  Add  sulphate 
of  potash  and  the  tubers  grow  white  and  "mealy",  excellent 
in  quality.  That  is  just  what  we  would  expect,  knowing  the 
influence  of  potash  on  the  formation  of  starch  and  on  qual- 
ity. The  simple  truth  is  that  these  black  swamp  lands  are 
really  the  most  valuable  soils  on  the  farm.  They  need 
drainage  to  take  out  the  surplus  water  and  potash  to 
provide  the  missing  fertility. 


AVERAGE  COMPOSITION  OF  POTASH  SALTS 

and  Application  Recommended  in  Pounds  per  acre 

for  use  on  Elack  Unproductive  Soils. 


PER  CENT. 

NAME  OF  SALTS.          OF  PURE  POTASH.     POUNDS. 

AVERAGE.  PER  ACRE. 

A.  Salts  containing  Chlorides: 

Muriate  of  Potash 50  200 

Manure  Salt 20  600 

Kainit  (crude  salt) 12.4  800 

B.  Salts  free  of  Chlorides  : 

Sulphate  of  Potash 50  200 

Sulphate  of  Potash-Magnesia 27  400 


16466' 


274354 

ju 


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